Lindsey Evans, social studies teacher at Apex Friendship Middle School and the 2019-20 Teacher of the Year for the Wake County Public School System, will greet a new class of eighth-graders next week.
We invited the award-winning teacher to tell us a little bit about herself, the award, and how she inspires her students.
Family: Husband, Ben, sons Mason, 7, and Graham, 4
Originally from: Casar, N.C.
Lives in: Holly Springs
A new school: Every time we do something, it’s for the first time ever: the first sporting event, the first pep rally. Now that we have all of those firsts under our belt, I know that next year will be even better.
Middle school years: There’s such a stigma surrounding middle-schoolers. It is such a time of change in their lives: physical changes, emotional, social, psychological. All of these things are happening. We, as teachers, have a really cool opportunity to mold them and help them unleash all of those changes to be used in a remarkable way when they move forward.
Teaching philosophy: Relationships are No. 1. That’s what comes first every day. We start our class having kids share out good things happening in their lives. That two-minute mark of each day totally changes the dynamic of a classroom. When a kid knows that you care, they are going to do their best.
Loves: I really love the World War I through World War II era. If there was ever something to be a roller coaster in history, those few decades are certainly my favorite. I get very giddy about those.
On winning: Just to be nominated among these rock stars was already a major accomplishment. It means a whole lot that I get to represent a brand new school and an amazing group of staff members here. Now, I get to represent 11,000 other teachers. It’s so wild and bizarre. I hope I do this job justice over the next year. You feel like you have a lot of responsibility to do it right and to do it well.
- Conniption Gin Rosé Spritz from Durham Distillery
- Hell Yes Ma’am Belgian Golden Ale from Raleigh Brewing Company
- Restaurant Profile: Scratch Kitchen & Taproom
- Think Outside the (Lunch) Box
- Cary’s Crepe Queen
- Flame and Fortune
- Fire and Service
- Nonprofit Spotlight: Healing Transitions
- Small Business Spotlight: Chatham Street Wine Market
- Ironweed: Purple Reign
- Notable Teens: Young Women to Watch
- Floating Away the Summer
- Restaurant Profile: Vicious Fishes Brewery, Tap and Kitchen
- Meet Lindsey Evans
- From the Editor: August 2019
